Improvement in grain-binders



4 Sheets-Sheet, 1,

A. STARK. Grain-Binder.

Patented Sept` 30, |879.y

Trlgj IN/vendor.

NAFETERS. PMOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. wAsHmGTON, D c.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. STARK. Grain-Binder.

No. 220,186. Patented Sept. 30,1879.

159.5. @a n al N.PETERS, PHDTQLITHOERAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

4Sheets--Sheet 3. A. STARK. Grain-Binder.

No. 220,186. Patented Sept. 30,1879.

FIGV

TEW/U@ Y INVENTOR .FETERS. PMOTO-UYNOGRAIHER, WASNINGTCN. o C.

. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. A. STARK. Grain-Binder.

No. 220,186. Patented' Sept. 30,1879.

Inve ht-07.

j/W www ./M @557% @f-@ff UNITED lSTA'IEIS PATENT FFGE.

ANDREW STARK, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

Specilicationforiniug part of Letters Patent No. 220,186, dated September 30, 1879 application filed August 7, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ANDREW STARK, of Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Binders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it'pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

My invention relates to improvements in grain-bin ders, the nature of which will be fully explained byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fi gurelrepresents aplan 3 Fig.2, a side view; Fig. 3, a front view. Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical longitudinal sections of the device, viewed from the opposite sides. Figs. 6, 7, S, 9, l1, and l2 are detail views of parts thereof. Fig. 10 represents an en d view of the apparatus, showing a slight modification of the driving means.

In each of the views similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding` parts wherever they occur.

A is the frame, to which are attached the various parts of my improved machine, and which is secured to the reaper in a manner well known to persons acquainted with grainbinders.

C is the main driving-gear, though which motion is received from the reaper and communicated to the mechanism of the binder, and it is supported on a shaft, B, which is bent into a crank, B, and journaled in bearings on opposite sides of theframe A, as shown.

The wheel C has formed on one side of it the segment Q, which engages with a pinion, D, onthe shaft D', which actuates the twisting and cutting mechanism.

c is a cam-bar attached to the wheel C, and so arranged that it will, in the revolution of the wheel, pass under the pin cl and lift the sliding' pitmau c, which is formed with a guideslot, c, placed over the shaft B, as shown.

cg is another cam-bar attached to the wheel C, and so arranged that it will strike the npper side of the pin c1 as soon as the latter is released by the bar c, and force down the pitman.

The pitman c2 is attached to a crank, c4, on the shaft c5, to which is fixed the binder-arm c6, which gathers the grain into proper form and passes the band up to the tying mechanism.

B2 is a fork or rake, journaled to the crank Bl in line with the twisting mechanism. Its handle b is formed with a slot, b1, which slides on apin, b2, fixed between the bars of the curved presser E, hereinafter described.

'lhe grain as received from the reaper is drawn by the fork over the end ofthe binder'- arm and upon the band B3. The fork is then lifted by the crank Bl, and is turned outward from the binding mechanism into a horizontal position, and carried to the front side of the binder and down through the grain, separating the latter, and gathering another quantity for the next gavel.

The binder-arm cG is scmicircular in form, and is provided with the prongs or ngers c7 c, arranged so that they pass one above and the other below the device for holding the en( of the band.

The finger c'I is provided with an eye or opening, cm, through which the band passes, and the end of the finger c is formed with a notch or recess in its end, so that it will hold the band in position.

The lnger cT in the operation of the machine comes in contact with and moves a swinging lever, j, pivoted on the shaft D1, and presses down a spring-pawl, t', for purposes hereinafter set forth.

E is a compressor and guard, formed, by preference, of two bars, between the upper ends of which the handle of the fork slides, and between the lower ends of which the upper or forked end'of the binderarm passes when carrying the band to the twister. It has its lower end secured to the under side of the platform a* of the binding mechanism, and extends backward, passing between the teeth of the fork, and is curved upward, and has its upper end secured to the frame in such manner that the crank Bl revolves within it, as shown. This guard or compressor serves to prevent accidental entangling of straw with the crank Bl, clears the prongs of the fork B2 as the latter is raised, and compresses and holds the grain from being forced upward out of position, so

as to interfere with the fingers cT c8 as the binder-armc6 carries the band around to the twister.

F is the twisting mechanism. lt is composed of the segmental wheel f, with its parallel wheel f l supported one above the other, and formed with beveled edges, so that they will engage with the vertical bevel-wheels f 2 f3, carried by the shaft D, the wheel f2 being keyed to the shaft, while the wheel f3 revolves thereon.

The wheels fflf3 are arranged so as to give a regular movement to the segmental wheel f.

The segmental wheel f supports the cutting and clamping devices, and, with the latter, performs the complex operation of twisting or tying, cutting, and holding the bami. It is formed, as shown, with about one-fourth of its circumference cut away, and with the recess f7 extending along its diameter and past its center, as shown.

The segmental wheelf is not mounted on a shaft, but is provided with a projection on its under side around the opening or recess f7, in which is formed a groove, f5, which receives the semicircular projections or bearingsj"2 on the supporting-platform u, which is formed with a slot,f, through which the band is carried by the fingers c7 c of the binder-arm to the twister.

The clamping and cuttngdevice is composed of the xed beveljaw h and swingingjaw l1', provided with knives or shears h" and the swinging lever h6, all arranged on the shaft hz, turning in bearings k, tixed on the upper surface and within the circumference of the beveled edge of the segmental wheel f, and so that thejaws revolve in the openingfA in the center of said wheel.

The clamp-jaws h h and shearedges are held in place by a rivet, h5, passing through the shaft h2 in such a manner as to cause the shear-edges to work with a shearing motion upon each other, and immediately upon such motion being effected the clamp-jaws h h engage above the shears and hold the end of the wire or binding material firmly, but allowing the end of the wire or binding means below the shears to pass out freely.

Motion is obtained to the combined shear and clamp h by means of a short lever, h6, pivoted at its fulcrum h7 to the shaft h2 and working at one end alternately against the sides of a slot, h", in the clamp h'. The outer extremity of the lever h6 being free is thrown over at the desired times by means of the spring-pawl i, attached at one end to the frame a', and operated so that it may engage with the lever h6 by means of the overhanging lever j, which is suspended loosely from the shaft D', so that it may be brought down by the increased pressure caused by the end of the binder'arm c6 when additional motion is communicated to the binder-arm c bythe cam or operating surface c on the Wheel C.

The cutting and holding device is attached to the segmental wheel f in such manner that it is capable of revolving in its own bearings k freely, and when it has clasped the wire or other binding material, as the binder-arm c is drawn backward, the tension of the wire or binding material causes the cutter and holder to revolve one-halfway round, thereby causing the binding material to be suspended through and under the segmental wheel f, and the opposite side of shears and clamping-jaws is presented to and receives the middle of the wire or binding material.

K is the butt-evener or wind-board, suspended by rods Kl to the frame A, as shown, and when at rest it occupies a vertical and fixed position against the lower portions of the side bars or posts of the frame A next the grainplatform. From its xed point or position against the side framing it is thrown inward toward the binding-arm c, and it may be adjusted at the pleasure of the driver to any length of stroke, as hereinafter described, so as to adapt it to any length of grain; or it may be thrown out of gear when it is desired not to have it work.

Motion is communicated to the board K by means of a lever, h', bent at right angles and hinged to a sliding bearing, l, working on a cross-piece, l. The lever k has lnotion communicated b v the crank-shaft Bl coming in contact with its lower end at each revolution, which motion is communicated to the board K by means of the projecting lever K2 attached to the top of one ofthe rods K. After motion has been communicated to the board K by the crank Bl and intervening mechanism, the board by its own gravity will fall into its normal position.

The amount ot motion communicated to the board K may be regulated at Will by shifting the position of the sliding hearing l by means of the lever I2.

The butt-evener K is thrown ont of gear by moving the bearing l outward against or near to the frame A, so that the crank B will revolve clear of the bell-crank lever k, as will he clearly understood by reference to Fig. 1.

In order that the segmental wheel j may always present the opening f'l to the wire as the latter, held by the points c" c", is thrown up by the binder-arm c, a cross-bar, m, Fig. 9, is arranged on the rear of the pinion D, extending out at right angles to the shaft D and revolving with it. Against this crossbar m a lever, m, is pressed and rmly holds the cross-piece m whenever the pinion D and shaft D are not in motion.

The lever m is held against the cross-piece m by means of a spring, m2, and is automatically disengaged when the driving-[unions f2 f3 are engaged with the segmental wheel j', by means of a stop or pin, m3, on the connecting-rod c2 striking against the end of the lever m and throwing it back. The lever m' is attached to the main framing by means of a suitable pivot or bearing, m5.

Under the rear cross-bar of the apparatus,

. and below the shaft c5, is arranged a shaft, n,

upon which is supported a spool, al, for the binding or tying material, which shaft a rests in slotted bearings al, (shown in Fig. 5,) so as to revolve freely; and the spool nl and shaft a, when placed in position, are held firmly by means of a pad, a3, resting upon the surface of the material, and held by means of a curved spring, a4, the pressure of the pad a3 being regulated by the tension of the spring a4, which is so made as to allow the pad a3 to adjust itself automatically on the face of the spool al. The tension ot' the binding material is thus regulated to suit the requirements of the gra-in being bound.

Under the center board, al, of the platform A', and beyond the point of the binder-arm c6 when down ready to receive the grain to be bound, a pulley or sheave, 0, is arranged, around which the binding material passes. Between this pulley o and the point of the binder-arm o6 is arranged another pulley or roller, also attached to the center bar, a3, under which the material is carried in its passage from the spool nl to the tin ger cl.

Attached to the center bar of the framing, near each side of the finger c7, are springs p, one end of each of which projects above the center bar of the framing perpendicularly, in such a manner that when the grain is forced back by the fork B2 they will yield before it and fall on either side of the linger c?, thereby allowing the grain to go freely back over the wire or binding material; but immediately the grain to form the bundle has passed the springs p will rise behind the quantity of grain so pressed forward and completely separate the grainsupply from the bundle being formed, and also clear all grain from the fingers c7 cl.

My improved binder is so attached to the cutting-machine, whether reaper or harvester, that the machine will deposit the grain on the platform A', within reach of the fork B2, as it is revolved. The spool al is then placed in position under the rear cross-bar of the framing A and the spring a4 adjusted.

If Wire is employed, the end is carried forward under the middle of the machine to the covered sheave and passed around, the end being brought back and through the point of the finger c7, and thence it is brought up and placed in the open side of the cutting and holding device F. The clamp-jaws h hl are then thrown together by the lever. The wire is now drawn tight and the device revolved so as to present the open side to the inside of the machine. The lever l2 is then thrown over until the swinging board will throw .the grain over evenly, and so far as may be necessary to bring the band in the right place on the bundle.

Themachineis now ready to make the bundle. rlhe main wheel C is revolved from right to left. The fork B2 is driven forward, the crank Bl striking the lever k', actuating the swinging wind-board K, and driving the grain endwise as the fork B2 separates the bundle from the falling grain. The grai n is carried back with the revolution of the shaft B andfork Bzover the springs p on the platform A and the fingers c"l o8 of the binder-arm c6, which now lie beneath the surface of the platform A'. The binding-wire is now drawn out through and over the linger o'l, and the springs p rise and separate the loose grainfrom the bundle. The fork B2, having reached the extent of its motion backward, passes the center, rises and moves forward again for the next bundle. Just before the fork B2 gets clear back, the cani c on the wheel G engages the friction-wheel cl on the connect ing-rod c2, and this rQd is thereby drawn up, driving the binder-arm clup behind the bundle, with the finger c7 passing above and the fin ger c8 below the disk f, whereby the wire is thrown to the center of the disk j'. The segment Q on the rear of the main wheel C then causes the pi'nion D on the shaft D to give the disksffl three full revolutions. Just bcfore the revolution of the disks ffl is completed a raised point or projection on the cam c throws the hinder-arm cl" up still farther, causing the iin ger cT to strike against tlie'dlaiiging lever j, which presses on the spring-pawl z' until it engages with the lever h operating the cutting and holding device. This being thrown,back and the end of the wire caught, the bundle falls out behind the machine. The cam c now draws the binder-arm c, with the band, back to its place, and the tension on the wire now, or when a bundle is again driven back by the fork Bl, causes clamping-jaws li hl, holding the end of the wire, to revolve halfway upon their own axis, when the operation is complete.

In Fig. 10, in place of employing a segment of teeth Q coincident with the continuous series of teeth on the periphery of the drivingwheel C, a segmental toothed rack, QX, is applied to the wheel C, the said rack QX en gaging at the desired times with the pinion D for the purpose of driving the shaft D' and operating the twisting and cutting devices. The connecting-rod c2 in this case is connected to a lever, q, which at ql is formed with a camsurface adapted to engage with a pin or stud, q2, extending from the wheel C, and so arranged that at the proper time it shall cause the lever q to operate the connecting-rod c2, so as to actuatc the lever cl and shaft c5, and through them the binder-arm c5.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Thecombination of the grain-platformA, revolving crank Bl, shaft B, fork B2, com pressor E, binder-arm c6, fingers el e8, shaft c5, arm c4, connecting-rod c2, and cam c, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with the segmental wheel fand the disk fl, of the gears flf, ar ranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the centering or wind board K and crank Bl, of the bell-crank lever k' and sliding bearing l, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the segmental wheelj' and beveled wheels ff2f3, shaft 1)', provided with a cross-piece, m, and pinion l), ot the bell-crank lever m, pitmau e2, having: pill m, cam-bar e on wheel t, and spring m2, t'or the purpose set forth.

5. The colnbinatiou, with the segmental wheel f, of the jaws h I4', level' It, arranged on the shaft h2, revolving in a bearing, 1.', constructed and operating substantiall)Y as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the platform a, segmental wheelf, jaws h Il', and lever la, constructed and arranged as described, ofthe spring pawl and swinging leverj, supported on the shaft l), as set forth.

7. The presser and guard li, constructed as described, in combination with the binder-arm or needle e, fork l, and crank Il', for thc purposes set forth.

S. The combination, with the tixed jaw l1, i

constructed with beveled faces, as described, and the pivoted jaw h, supported ou the axis h2, ofthe knives or shears h, arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

9. In a grain-binding machine, the reversible clamping and cutting device, consisting: ofthe fixed and the swinging beveled jaws Il h', having,v a common axis ot motion, 1:2,j0url i i naled on the revolving disk, having its bearing tixed and stationary on the binder-frame, said clamping and cutting device being adape ed to receive and hold, by one pair of its beveled jaws, the end of the binding-wire, while the latter, by its tension, will bring the open pair of beveled jaws into proper position to receive the other end of that portion of the wire which has been carried around and forms the band for the gavel, substantially as set; t'orth.

10. A butt-evener or bundle-adjuster, K, vibrating automatically against the butts of the bundles, and under control ofthe driver, so as to be thrown out of gear at will, substantially as set forth.

11. An autoinaticall vvibrating buttevener i or lmndle-zuljuster, under the control of the driver, to be adjusted and operated at will, in combination with a grain-receptacle and bilider-arm, substantially as described.

In testimonyv that I claim the foregoing as my own 1 atiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW STARK. \\'itnesses:

SAMVEL I I INDMAN, JonN (i. SEARLE. 

